Special Poll
On Sunday, former President Trump reflected on the recent assassination attempt against him, describing the experience as “very surreal” as he prepared to attend the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
“I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told reporters from the New York Post and Washington Examiner aboard his plane to Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention will begin on Monday.
Trump recounted the words of his doctor at the hospital, who called his survival a miracle. “The doctor said he had never seen anything like this before. He said it was a miracle,” Trump shared, noting the doctor mentioned he had never seen anyone survive being hit by an AR-15.
“By luck or by God, many people are saying it’s by God that I’m still here,” Trump added.
The former president praised the Secret Service for their swift response to the shooting, which occurred on Saturday at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
“They did a fantastic job,” Trump said. “It’s surreal for all of us.”
Trump was on stage for less than ten minutes when shots rang out. He grabbed at his ear and neck area and dropped to the stage. Secret Service agents quickly surrounded him, and as they helped him up, Trump pumped his fist to the crowd and mouthed the word “fight.”
Photographers captured the moment of Trump’s fist pump, which quickly spread on social media.
“A lot of people say it’s the most iconic photo they’ve ever seen,” Trump remarked in the interview. “They’re right, and I didn’t die. Usually, you have to die to have an iconic picture.”
“I just wanted to keep speaking, but I just got shot,” he added.
The shooter, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot by authorities moments after he fired from a rooftop near the rally site.
“They took him out with one shot right between the eyes,” Trump said, pointing to the bridge of his nose.
Trump mentioned that he was grazed by a bullet, and a spectator, Corey Comperatore, was killed while shielding his family. Two other spectators were injured, and Pennsylvania State Police reported they were in stable condition as of Sunday.
During the interview, Trump said he is considering attending Comperatore’s funeral.
Despite the incident, Trump decided to leave for the convention on Sunday afternoon. “I cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force changes to scheduling, or anything else,” he stated.
Trump is set to formally accept the GOP nomination on Thursday night and is expected to announce his running mate during the convention, likely on Monday.
In a separate interview with another Washington Examiner reporter, Trump mentioned he rewrote his speech for the Republican National Convention to focus on national unity.
“The speech I was going to give on Thursday was going to be a humdinger,” Trump said. “Had this not happened, this would’ve been one of the most incredible speeches,” he added, noting that it was primarily aimed at the policies of President Biden. “Honestly, it’s going to be a whole different speech now.”
President Biden, in a prime-time address on Sunday night, urged Americans to reduce the heated political rhetoric.
“The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down,” Biden said in remarks from the Oval Office. “This places an added burden on all of us that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”